day job

noun

: one's regular employment as contrasted with an occasional, secondary, or coveted job

Examples of day job in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Longs, who in their day jobs oversee more than $34 billion in investments as cofounders of Palmer Square Capital Management at the firm’s office seven miles away, recognize that CPKC Stadium is hardly just another building. Justin Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025 Typically, National Incident Management Teams are made up of public lands workers across the country ‒ people who have other day jobs but get seconded to the fire-management teams during big fires. Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 23 May 2025 Within six months, thanks to the help of their Chinatown community, Lin and Wang — who didn’t quit their day jobs — opened Steep in the fall of 2019. Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025 Her expertise from her day job led her to become the Director of Marketing and Communications of the National Flight Training Alliance, which encourages constant aviation training and studying. Sam Silverman, People.com, 18 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for day job

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of day job was in 1971

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Cite this Entry

“Day job.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/day%20job. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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